Halt's Apprentice
by darth picard
Summary: while visiting a friend of his, Halt is followed on his way home by a young boy named Gilan. Read along as Gilan undergoes the challenges of being apprenticed to the Ranger Corps finest ranger. -Disclaimer inside-
1. Chapter 1

**Well this is exciting! My second fanfic and let's hope this doesn't turn out to be another one shot drabble like my last story. All right then. Usual disclaimer and such** **I DO NOT OWN RANGER'S APPRENTICE OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS THAT ALL BEONGS TO JOHN FLANAGAN!**

 **All right here's the story and remember to read and review!**

Gilan cautiously peeked out from behind the birch tree he was hiding behind. Nearly 30 meters ahead, the Ranger Halt was walking back toward where he had left Abelard. He had left his horse there before going to visit Gilan's father, Sir David.

As far as Gilan could tell, Halt was so far unaware of the fact that he was being followed. _Wow, I'm better at this unseen movement stuff then I thought._ Gilan thought happily. _Maybe I'm good enough to be accepted as an apprentice Ranger!_

Gilan looked around for his next hiding spot. There was a stream nearby, some bushes and there! There was a large oak tree some 20 meters ahead of him. _Perfect_. Gilan began to move toward the tree, stepping as quietly as possible. After 10 meters or so, he stepped on a small twig that had somehow escaped his notice. He froze, but Halt seemed not to notice. Gilan grinned. His plan just might work!

Halt sighed inwardly as he listened to Gilan's clumsy movements. The boy had some skill but was still as clumsy as a Skandian.

 _I would be surprised if they could not hear him in the next fief! Blundering around the forest like a blind wargal!_ Halt thought, wincing slightly as Gilan stepped on a twig for what seemed the millionth time _._

 _Am I really ready for an apprentice?_ Halt wondered. As Gilan drew near the next tree, Halt made up his mind. _Ah well,_ he thought. _It can't be all that bad having an apprentice. After all, nothing ventured nothing gained._

Gilan didn't know what hit him. There he was, moving from tree to tree when faster than he had ever seen someone move before the Ranger was right in front of him.

Halt picked him up and promptly threw him into the stream Gilan had noticed earlier.

Startled, Gilan sat up in the water, spluttering.

"What was that for!?" Gilan said indignantly before remembering who he was talking to. Halt raised one eyebrow.

"Is attempting to sneak up on a king's Ranger reason enough for you?"

Gilan wisely kept his mouth shut and said nothing. Inwardly he was crestfallen. He knew there was now almost no chance of being a Ranger now. Not after he had apparently angered one of the most famous Rangers.

Halt just stared silently at Gilan. The boy had been quite startled when Halt had thrown him in the water. Now though, he looked rather depressed, as if he thought Halt had actually angry.

Annoyed, yes, but not all that angry. The boy had some skill. He was a little on the tall side for a ranger but height did not matter. It was potential that counted and Halt could see potential in Gilan.

"If you are trying to sneak up on someone, it's usually a good idea not to step on every twig you can find." Halt told him.

Gilan's expression changed from disappointment to confusion as if he was wondering why Halt wasn't reprimanding him.

"Come on, if we are going to reach my camp before dark we should go. It's a little late for you to return home."

Halt turned and began walking again. Gilan remained rooted to the spot for a moment before what the Ranger said sunk in. He scrambled to his feet and ran after Halt with a wide grin on his face. _Maybe I can still become a Ranger!_

 **Well there we go! I finally finished the first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it and I will try to post the next chapter sometime soon. I'm going to try to update this story weekly, but don't get your hopes up. I'm still pretty new to this and I'm still trying to figure out how to post my stories properly. Thanks again and please review this story!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here we go! Chapter two at last! Sorry I'm a few days late on updating this story but as I've said, I am pretty new at this. But enough talk. Let's see how Gilan is doing!**

As they walked, Gilan took the chance to fully take in his current situation. If Halt doesn't send him back to his father the next morning, _which is only all too likely at the moment,_ Gilan thought, He was hopeful that he might just be able to become a Ranger!

He hoped he would. He didn't mind who he was apprenticed too, but to be honest, he would prefer Halt. The grim Ranger was one of the finest rangers in the corps and Gilan had the feeling he could learn a lot from the man.

But the future wasn't set in stone yet.

 _What if Halt sends me back home? I hope he doesn't, but what if he does? I didn't exactly tell my father were I was going or what I was doing._

Gilan thought, a look of realization coming onto his face.

 _Oh no. My father! Darn it! He is going to be furious when he finds out that I ran off like that, not to mention that I was trying to sneak up on one of his friends!_

Gilan was brought out of his thoughts when they came to a small clearing. On the left side of the clearing, a small horse was quietly cropping the grass next to a small cluster of trees. The horse's saddle was set on the ground next to the trees.

Halt walked over to the saddle and began rummaging around the bags. He pulled out an extra cloak and tossed it to Gilan.

"Here, put this on."

Gilan accepted the cloak gratefully. He was still rather wet from the stream and was grateful for the warmth of the cloak. The stream water had been quite cold after all.

After giving him the cloak, Halt sent Gilan off to collect firewood for the night's fire.

While he was gone, he took the moment to think about his current situation. He still wasn't quite sure about having an apprentice. He had no experience whatsoever in that field. He sighed inwardly.

 _How should I go about training the boy?_ He thought, as he began putting together a pile of kindling. _I suppose I should just do what Pritchard did to teach me, but what should I start with? The bow? The knives? I will have to think on that._

Gilan came back just then, carrying an armful of wood that he set down next to the small blaze Halt had going in the kindling. He then stepped back and watched as Halt began to put together a pot of stew. As he set another pot of water for coffee on the fire , shifted his gaze to Gilan. The boy was uncommonly quiet- which was odd.

Gilan evidently thought so as well.

"Halt? Uh, I was wondering if you would take me on as an apprentice Ranger! I really want to learn how to become a Ranger and move around unseen and shoot a bow and I don't really want to go back to learning to be a knight because that is really boring and dull and don't send me back to my father, I mean I should tell him I want to be a Ranger but I really think he would be mad and….!"

Gilan trailed off as he realized he was rambling. Halt, having been waiting patiently for him to finish speaking, spoke up.

"Your father already knows."

Gilan looked at him in confusion which quickly turned to shock.

"Really? He does?"

"Yes" was the simple reply.

Gilan looked even more confused. "But how…?"

Halt merely shrugged. "I simply told him you would follow me when I visited today. He gave you permission to become my apprentice."

Gilan's expression went from shock to one of pure joy-although he stilled looked a bit puzzled.

"That's great! But how did you know I would follow you?" he asked.

Halt did not answer; he merely wrapped himself tighter in his cloak and leaned back against a small tree. Gilan pulled his cloak around himself and laid down by the fire.

"Good night Halt."

Halt leaned his head against the tree's trunk. _So I now have an apprentice_ he thought _well, lets hope it is not a mistake getting one._


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we go! Chapter 3! Lets hope this isn't too terrible. Enjoy!**

They set out for Redmont fief the next day. The entire way, Gilan kept up a constant stream of chatter that Halt welcomed at first, but then grew weary of.

 _How is it possible for someone to talk for this long non-stop?_ Halt thought wearily, as Gilan went on about something or another.

The Ranger was only half- listening; he was more focused on making sure he didn't throw his new apprentice into the first stream or moat he came across. The boy's constant chatter was starting to wear on his patience.

Thankfully, castle Redmont was soon in sight. Gilan stopped talking and stared at the three-sided building with some wonder. Halt himself had grown used to the sight of the impressive structure; he lived near it after all. Gilan however, had not traveled out of his home fief before now and was obviously finding all of this very exciting and new. Deciding that Gilan had stared at the castle long enough, turned towards the forest.

From their vantage point upon the hill, Halt could clearly see the small cabin at the edge of the trees he called home. "This way," he said, turning and starting down the hill. Gilan seemed to re-focus and hurried after the Ranger.

As he followed halt, Gilan was observing his surrounding with some fascination. The cottage they were heading towards was small in size. It sat in a small clearing on the outskirts of the forest a stable was set nearby.

As they drew near, Gilan could see that it was set a good ways away from the castle and village.

 _Makes sense,_ he thought to himself. _Rangers are known to enjoy a bit of solitude- it probably helps with their training as well- no villagers or knights staring at them._ Halt stepped onto the small verandah on the front side of the cabin and entered, the door creaking on rusty hinges.

Gilan followed and when he entered the cabin, he paused a moment to look around. It was a rather comfortable looking place.

The cabin consisted of a main room that was home to the dining area and the living space. A kitchen was set on the one side of the room and had several shiny and well cleaned pots and pans ranged in the space. A wooden bench separated the kitchen from the rest of the room and a fireplace was on the other side of the room. There were several chairs ranged around it and a pine table was set in the center of the room.

From where he was standing Gilan could see two doors in the back of the room, presumably leading to bedrooms.  
Gilan realized then that Halt had been staring at him for a few minutes now. He quickly turned his attention to the grizzled ranger.

"When do I start?" Gilan asked excitedly, eager to begin learning how to be a Ranger. Finally, he could follow his dream! Halt raised an eyebrow at his question.

"You can start by filling the barrel outside the door with water from the stream," he said. "When you finish that, you can chop firewood for the day, sweep the floor, and clean the rugs. That should be enough to start with for now." Gilan stared at him in something akin to disbelief. He was supposed to clean!? Halt stared at him.

"Are you still here?" Gilan hastily, turned and headed out the door. It was going to be a long morning.

 **And there we go! This chapter was the easiest so far to write so far- I took a few liberties when writing this and I decided that it wouldn't take them that long to go from where Gilan lived to Redmont; since Halt visits them every now and then and probably would not want to leave his fief unattended for long. That meant I assumed that it was the next fief over. I also thought that since Gilan is Halt's first apprentice, he would not be used to being a mentor and that Gilan's chatter and constant talking would take some getting used to. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey there! Sorry I haven't updated for a while. My computer was having problems-again. I will make sure to update on time next week.**

All morning, Gilan was kept busy with the many tasks Halt thought up.

 _Who knew that a small cabin like this would be so hard to clean?_ Gilan thought as he chopped firewood. So far he had already swept the cabin, hauled water, scrubbed and scoured the pots and pans, and beat the rugs until they were free of dust. He wasn't sure, but he thought Halt was enjoyed watching him slave away. He guessed that he was usually the one to do all of these chores and tasks and was enjoying the break.

Halt came out just then. He looked at the pile of wood and nodded slightly.

"That should be enough. Put the axe done and follow me." He said.

Gilan was only to happy to just that. As he followed the Ranger to the small clearing by the woods, he noticed that Halt was carrying a bundle of what looked like weapons. _Maybe I can finally start my training!_ He thought excitedly. Halt stopped removed what looked like a bow, and set the rest of the objects on the ground.

"This is the bow you will be using." Halt said, gesturing to the weapon." We call it a recurve bow," He handed it to Gilan and Gilan took a moment to look at it closely. It was an odd looking bow. The carefully constructed wood was set in a way that gave the bow a mostly normal shape at the ends, but dipped in the center, giving it a wavy shape.

"Why is it not like the one you have?" Gilan asked, pointing to the large longbow strapped to Halt's back,

"You do not have enough strength yet to be able to handle a full-sized longbow," Halt said." The recurve bow will be easier for you to handle, while still giving you power behind your shots." Gilan thought about this for a moment. Deciding that it made sense, he turned to Halt.

"Can I shoot an arrow!?" he asked, eager to try. Halt raised an eyebrow,

"If you think that is a good idea."

Halt watched as his apprentice grab an arrow from the quiver at his feet. Gilan drew back the arrow and Halt noticed that he had almost no difficulty in drawing it back.

 _All of that time spent sword fighting has strengthened his muscles. His form however, needs work._ He thought as Gilan aimed for a nearby tree. Gilan fired the arrow, only to let out a small yelp of shock as the bowstring hit the inside of his left arm. Gilan turned to Halt. "That hurt!" he said indignantly.

Halt raised an eyebrow.

"You should not have been so hasty." He said dryly. "Don't rush into things."

He then handed Gilan an arm guard made out of stiff leather. "This will stop the bowstring from striking your arm when firing an arrow," he said. HE showed Gilan how to put it on his arm and then handed him another arrow.

"Try again" he said.

Gilan stared at him suspiciously for a moment, as if trying to decide if it was a trick, before carefully drawing the arrow back. Halt corrected his pose and then watched as he fired again at the same tree. The arrow missed the tree, but this time, the bowstring did not slap his arm. Halt nodded slightly.

" Your aim will improve with practice," He told Gilan. "For now, let's move on to the knives."

He picked up a double scabbard belt from the ground and handed it to Gilan. He the picked up a large knife, similar to the one he himself carried.

"This is what we call a Saxe knife," he said. "It was originally used by the Skandians, but the Rangers often find they are useful to have around."

He handed it to Gilan, who held it in his hand as if weighing it. "It's well balanced," he remarked.

Halt nodded.

"It is balanced enough that it can be thrown at a target from a distance, but we typically do not throw them. Our second knife serves that purpose."

He picked up a smaller knife.

"This is the throwing knife. It is balanced for throwing just like the Saxe knife."

He handed it to Gilan.  
" These knives are rather important in a Rangers life, keep them rust free, clean and sharp- so be careful with them. They just might save your life one day"

Gilan nodded, running a finger along the edge of the blade of the throwing knife.

"Ouch!" he suddenly dropped the knife and held up his hand, which now had a small gash on it.

Halt face palmed.

"I told you it was sharp!" he exclaimed.

 **And there we go! Chapter 4 is done! Please review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Right then, here's chapter five! Enjoy!**

Over the next few days, Gilan was introduced to the many skills a Ranger learned. He practiced everything; throwing his knives, archery, and unseen and silent movement. He was currently practicing the latter.

He pushed a low hanging branch carefully out of the way as he passed by it. He was trying to sneak up on Halt; a seemingly impossible task that Halt insisted upon every few weeks.

"Think of it as a test" Halt had said. "A way to see how much you have learned so far."

 _Well, I definitely must have learned something_ Gilan thought as he stepped around a large branch that had fallen from a tree. _I managed to get within a hundred yards last time._

Halt, as he had found out, was quite good at spotting people trying to catch him by surprise.

 _Speaking of sneaking…"_ Gilan listened hard; he was sure he had heard something but couldn't quite pinpoint it. It had been a faint sound- no more than a slight rustle- but it was there. And it had seemed to come from behind him somewhere behind him.

Gilan slowly turned around to see a figure passing through the woods.

 _That's not Halt_ Gilan thought, before stepping back by a bush, wrapping the mottled gray-green cloak Halt had given him around his tall form.

The man did not seem to have noticed him yet. He was a tall man-taller than Gilan- and had broad shoulders. A large mustache and a nose that had obviously been broken in the past made up his face and he wore chainmail.

 _He must be a knight,_ Gilan thought, having grown up around knights he easily could tell this man was one. He bore a scarlet wolfs head crest and carried a sword at his side.

He was walking along the narrow path that led to the cabin from the castle, and as he walked, he seemed to be scanning the surrounding trees as if looking for something.

 _He must be looking for Halt,_ Gilan thought. He couldn't think of any other reason for the knight to be out and about this far away from the castle.

Deciding that it was best to remain hidden, Gilan let the man pass. As the man walked around the bend in the path, an idea came to mind.

 _Maybe Halt will come out from wherever he is to talk to the knight. That could be my chance to surprise him!_

With this new plan in mind, Gilan began to make his way back towards the cabin. He took a different route through the woods so that he would come up behind the cabin, out of sight of the knight. And with any luck, out of Halt's line of sight as well.

When he reached the cabin, he heard the knight knocking on the cabin door. Gilan crept around the side of the cabin to watch him, hiding behind the wood pile. When the man realized there was no one in the cabin, he turned towards the surrounding woods.

"Halt? Are you there?" the man shouted. Gilan winced slightly at the volume. The man sure was loud!

"Why don't you shout a bit louder? I don't think they heard you over in Skandia." Was the gruff reply.

Gilan very nearly jumped in surprise. He hadn't seen Halt come out of the woods, and the knight hadn't either, judging by the way he jumped nearly two feet in the air.

As the two began to talk, Gilan quietly made his way to the back of the cabin. Now that Halt was there, Gilan had to think of a way to catch him off guard.

 _How should I do this?_ He thought. Spotting a nearby tree overhanging the roof, an idea came to him. Quickly, he climbed the tree and softly dropped onto the cabin roof.

As he made his way across the roof, Gilan could hear the two men's conversation.

"…. Baron Arald wanted your input on the matter since he thought your experience would be helpful." The knight was saying.

Halt nodded. "I do not mind helping, but was a bad time for you to come out here Sir Rodney"

Sir Rodney looked confused. "Why would that be? He asked.

Halt sighed, "I was in the middle of assessing my apprentice" he said.

Sir Rodney looked rather surprised at that.

"You have an apprentice Halt? Since when?"

Gilan, now positioned above them, fitted an arrow into his bow. Drawing back, he fired it into the ground directly between the two men.

Rodney jumped back in shock, Drawing his sword and looking around for the source of the shot. Halt, on the other hand, seemed unsurprised, and he calmly looked up to where Gilan was perched.

Gilan grinned happily. "I passed didn't I!? I caught you by surprise!"

Halt shook his head.

"You where too quick to draw an arrow. I heard you before you could fire. Next time wait for them to be talking, and not in between sentences."

Gilan sighed unhappily. He had thought he had gotten Halt this time for sure.

Halt turned to where Rodney was standing. The knight was staring at Gilan curiously, the surprise fading. Halt called up to Gilan.

"Gilan, this is Sir Rodney, on of the knights from Redmont. Rodney, this is Gilan, my apprentice"

Gilan hopped down from the roof and held out his hand to Rodney, who shook hands with the boy.

" So Halt has an apprentice now. That's rather surprising." Rodney said cheerfully. " I thought someone as grim as him would never take on an apprentice!"

Halt glared at Rodney. Gilan only laughed.

"He does have that air of grumpiness, doesn't he?" He said grinning.

Halt just shook his head.

"Why don't you come inside Rodney, and you can tell me the details of the matter Baron

Arald mentioned. Gilan, go practice your shooting; you could use some practice."

 **There's chapter was fun to write. Sorry it took so long to update. I'm terrible at keeping a steady pattern of updates. The next wait won't be as long next time though. Don't forget to review this chapter! I hope you liked it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about the wait everyone. I've been busy with school and all the crazy stuff surrounding that. I have been managing to write though, and since I felt bad about not updating, I plan on uploading an extra chapter with next week's. Enjoy!**

"So, what is this situation that Arald wants me to handle?" Halt asked as he and Rodney sat around the table, with mugs of coffee clasped in their hands.

"The outer farms of the fief have been having trouble with bandits lately," Rodney said, taking a sip from his coffee. "They have been making a nuisance of themselves, but since we are so short on knights these days, we haven't been able to address the problem and they have become a threat."

Halt leaned back, sipping his coffee thoughtfully. He knew he had to do something about the problem; the bandits couldn't be left alone after all. But what about Gilan? He couldn't exactly leave the apprentice here in Redmont by himself. Perhaps Gilan was ready….."

After another moment of thought, Halt came to a decision.

"All right," he said, setting his coffee down and standing up. "We'll take care of the problem." Rodney stood up, obviously relieved.

"Thanks Halt." He said heading towards the cabin door, "We really need the help." Halt followed him onto the verandah, and watched the knight walk back down the road towards the castle. Halt sighed and shook his head. _I suppose there is only one way to know if Gilan is ready for a mission_ he thought as he headed around the side of the wood cabin.

Walking around the side of the building, Halt could see Gilan practicing his archery; firing arrows one after another in rapid succession. He looked up when he saw Halt coming towards him and set his bow down.

"What did Sir Rodney want?" he asked curiously.

"The Baron would like our help with a problem that has come up." Halt said "I told him we would gladly help out." Gilan cocked his head slightly to the side in thought.

"What sort of problem is it?" he asked.

"Bandits have been causing problems around some of the farms" Halt said simply, not needing to elaborate.

Gilan looked excited for a brief moment, before a look of uncertainty crossed his face. He bit his lip, unsure for a moment. Looking at Halt, he asked him, "Do you think I'm ready?"

Halt was momentarily surprised at the unexpected question. His hard features softened a bit though as he answered his apprentice's question.

"I wouldn't have agreed to help if you weren't," he said mildly." No use in bringing you along if you weren't ready after all."

Gilan cheered up at that, his usual grin once again on his young face. "When do we leave?" he asked excitedly. Halt raised an eyebrow at the question.

"Bright and early tomorrow." He said as if it were obvious. Gilan's face fell momentarily.

"Of course, silly me." He said. Halt nodded, and turned away, heading back towards the cabin.

"I believe in the meantime, you will have plenty to do." He called over his shoulder." The rugs look a bit dusty and I'm pretty sure that the wood won't chop itself." Gilan sighed, trudging over to the wood pile, he resigned himself to a work filled evening.

 **I feel like this chapter was rather short and a bit dull. No worries, the next chapter will have more action! Please don't forget to leave a review, and special thanks to everyone who has left a review for this story.**


	7. Chapter 7

**(See first chapter for Disclaimer)**

 **Let's see what the Rangers are up to….**

They set out at dawn, carrying their bows in their hands. Their quivers were slung onto their backs as they walked to the outer farms. Foregoing the wagon paths and roads, they moved into the woods, quickly disappearing into the shadows the trees cast.

Walking along, Gilan filled the morning air with his usual lively chatter, talking about whatever came to mind.

"Why didn't you bring Abelard along?' he asked curiously as he walked alongside Halt, easily keeping up with his mentor. " If he can warn us about anything trying to sneak up on us, wouldn't he be helpful to have around today?"

Halt raised an eyebrow at his apprentice.

"Well then I would be riding and I highly doubt that even as tall as you are, you could keep up on foot." Gilan seemed to think about that for a moment.

"But I thought…"

"You're an apprentice, you're not ready to think." Halt said. "Now enough with the talking and focus. Were almost to the farm."

They had been walking for some time and by now were indeed, very close to the small collection of farms that made up the area. There were multiple fields surrounding the barns and buildings. Some were filled with cattle and livestock, others with hay and wheat growing in them. There was a small grove of apple trees by a small creek that meandered down from the woods they were currently standing.

Halt put his hand out to stop Gilan from going further. Motioning for Gilan to follow, he moved towards a tangled clump of bushes, still staying in the concealing shadows of the woods. Gathering his cloak around himself, he settled to the ground facing the farm. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gilan do the same. They would only observe for now.

Pinpointing where the bandits were camping wasn't all that hard- they were camped out in the middle of the hayfield below them. There couldn't have been more than 20 total, but they were armed to the teeth and one of the bandits stood watch by the horses.

The closest farm was a simple establishment. A few chickens wandered around a small chicken coop that was set by the barn. A couple of cows meandered around a nearby field. The Farmhouse was a plain, average size building; but was a solidly built home.

Halt narrowed his eyes. Halt was no farmer, but normally no matter the season, the farmers would be up and about for sure by now. There was no one but the bandits were in sight. They had either been run off, were in hiding, or had been killed.

And to make matters even stranger, there was no obvious reason why the bandits had chosen these farms. These farmers were simple dairy and wheat farmers and had nothing of value.

 _So these aren't your usual dull witted bandits after all._ Halt thought. _They are here for another reason than robbing people._

Next to him, Gilan was deep in thought as well. From where they were sitting, he could see that there was only cows and fields around here. _What could they possibly be doing here?_ Gilan thought, puzzled as they observed the field encampment.

 _We need to get an idea of what is going on here_ , Halt thought. Just then, one of the bandits stood up from where he was talking with his companions. He made his way over to where the horses were grazing and saddled and mounted one of the horses. He rode off, galloping up the hill towards a road near where the two rangers were concealed.

Halt watched him ride off in interest. _This just might help us with that,_ he thought. Moving back the way they had come a little bit, Halt led Gilan towards a bend in the path.

"We will wait here until the rider returns." He said, nodding at the trees alongside the worn road. "When he comes back, we will capture him and find out what they are up to."


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's the extra chapter as promised! And even though it's a little late to say it, Happy Thanksgiving everybody!**

Gilan shifted a little on the tree branch he was sitting on. He had been sitting up on this tree for hours now!

 _If I don't move soon, I'll be a stiff as a board!_ Gilan thought, ignoring the glare Halt directed his way as he shifted yet again. _I hope that the rider comes through here soon._

As if listening to his thoughts, there came the sound of hooves pounding against the well-worn dirt path. Raising his head ever so slightly, Halt nocked an arrow on his bowstring. Gilan mimicked his movement. As the rider came into view, Halt looked towards Gilan and nodded.

Moving into a better position on the tree branch, Gilan carefully drew back his bow, aiming the arrow towards a point just in front of the rider. He took a deep breath, and releasing it, loosed the arrow.

The rider's horse reared back in shock. The rider too was caught by surprise. He reached for his sword, but as soon as he drew it from his scabbard, Halt shot it from his hand with practiced ease. Halt then came up behind the man and knocked him out with a strategically placed blow to the back of the head. Gilan climbed down from his perch in the tree, and joined Halt at the now rider less horse. Halt was searching the saddlebags of the horse.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Gilan asked curiously. Halt looked up briefly from what he was doing at his question.

"Since he was sent out quickly and he was moving fast, it seems he was a messenger of sorts." Halt explained as he pulled out a few pieces of parchment. "And messengers could carry maps or letters like this one". He unrolled one of the pieces of parchment and was studying it closely.

"What does it say?" Gilan asked, trying to look over Halt's shoulder. Halt turned so he could look at it. It was a letter to the leader of the group they were dealing with.

 _I hope you know what you're doing Nyle. There have been Redmont knights asking questions about a group of bandits I assume must be you. The Baron will be at the Harvest Festival in three days and I can personally guarantee that he will be at the agreed location at the agreed time. Just make sure you uphold your end of the bargain. Don't double cross me- you know what will happen if you do._

After reading the letter, Gilan was at a loss for words. This group planned to attack the Baron?

"What are we going to do?" he asked Halt. "Are we going to warn the Baron?"

"Of course we will, but we don't know enough to successfully stop whatever it is they are planning. We don't even know who to watch for at the festival," Halt said grimly. "I'm more worried about how this person said they can personally guarantee the Baron will be there. It's almost as if they can influence Arald."

"But wouldn't that mean they are at Redmont?" Gilan asked worriedly. Halt nodded grimly. "Well that's just great then. Can't we just ask Baron Arald to skip going to the Harvest Festival this year?"

Halt shook his head. "The Baron wouldn't miss the festival, he hosts it after all. Instead, I think we will just have to simply stop the bandits while they are all in one place."

 **Annnnnnnd there's the end of this chapter! Don't forget to leave a review of this chapter (I love getting reviews!).**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry about the wait everyone.**

Halt led the way back to their vantage point overlooking the bandit's camp. They stood there, watching the rather dull happenings in the camp. There were small groups of men gathered around small cooking fires. They were talking amongst themselves and sharping their swords.

The two Rangers, wrapped in their green-gray mottled cloaks

"How are we going to deal with the bandits Halt? They outnumber us." Gilan asked, eyeing the encampment below them.

"They do outnumber us," Halt said, not taking his eyes off of the camp. "But we have the advantage of surprise. If we wait until dark, we will be able to catch them off guard." Gilan nodded. It was a good enough strategy overall, but he still had doubts.

"Won't they raise the alarm when we start taking them out? We can only take on a few at a time." Halt turned his gaze to his apprentice.'

"Yes but they will have other things to worry about." Gilan frowned.

"But I thought…."

"I you had thought about it you wouldn't have asked." Halt said. "Now," he continued in a more serious tone. "Do you see where they have tied up their horses?" Halt asked. He saw Gilan nod. "If we rile the horses up and direct them towards the tents, the bandits will have to round them back up again."

Halt watched as Gilan, deep in thought realized what he was trying to say.

"And once they are distracted," Gilan said slowly, "we can confront a few at a time and they will be none the wiser in all of the confusion!" Halt nodded, and Gilan smiled. Now that he understood, he felt a bit more at ease than he had before. Not that he wasn't nervous still.

Gilan was worried. This was his first real mission, and he didn't want to mess up.

 _What if I miss a shot?_ He thought anxiously _. What if I fail and forget my training? I don't want to let Halt down._

Meanwhile, Halt was deep in thought as well. _This mission is turning out to be more dangerous than I had expected._ He thought grimly, studying the bandit camp. _Gilan, although his training is going well, might run into difficultly during the attack._ Glancing over at his apprentice, Halt decided to keep a close eye on him and make sure he didn't get out of his depth.

LINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAK

As night fell and the cooking fires burned brightly, the Rangers began to put their plan into action. They moved quickly and quietly, using the lengthening shadows to move undetected.

Gilan made his way carefully over to the horses. His mottled cloak helping him blend into the shadows. Carefully, once he reached the group of horses, he began releasing them, while Halt kept an eye on the camp, making sure they were unnoticed. As soon as they were finished, the moved to the tent closest to the horses. Halt motioned for him to stay where he was, and carefully, his cloak wrapped around him, stepped into the tent. After a few seconds, he emerged again.

"Empty" he said quietly. "Now is our chance". They quietly stacked brush around the base of the tent.

"Keep an eye on the camp" Halt said. "I will start the fire." Gilan nodded, moving to stand a few meters away from the tent, facing the rest of the camp.

Behind him, Halt carefully built a small fire. The small flame flickered and danced, casting moving shadows around the immediate area. The nearby horses snorted nervously, shifting where they stood. The flame rose up and caught on the tents cloth; it quickly grew into a large fire. The horses whinnied in fear. Free from the ropes picketing them, they raced off throughout the camp.

Chaos immediately followed.

Bandits came stumbling out from tents and from around campfires, shouting and trying to catch the panicking horses. Spotting the fire, several of them began dashing every which way trying to put it out. Meanwhile, the two Rangers moved around, taking them out one by one with carefully placed knocks on the head from Saxe knives.

Gilan moved up behind one of the men trying to catch a brown stallion. He quickly swung his Saxe knife up and over, hitting the man's head with the blunt handle. He crumpled to the ground with a thud. Looking around, he saw that the majority of the bandits had been handled, Halt was just taking care of the last two now. The horses, now that they were a ways from the fire, had calmed down and were scattered around the area. The fire itself, had burnt out, leaving what remained of the empty tent charred and smoldering on the ground.

Gilan made his way over to Halt, practically vibrating with energy. "That was crazy!" he exclaimed, still running a bit on adrenaline from the excitement of the encounter. "What do we do with them now? Do we just tie them up?"

Halt nodded, handing his apprentice a length of rope he found in a nearby tent, they began binding the hands of the bandits and knotting them all together in a group. Once they were finished, Gilan stood back to admire their work.

"How are we taking them back to Redmont?" he asked curiously.

"We aren't" Halt said gruffly. "Were leaving them here and will send knights out to retrieve them when we return to Redmont." He started walking towards the road that would take them back home. "And after that, were getting you a horse. We won't always be within walking distance of our missions."

Gilan hurried after him in excitement, almost tripping over one of the tied up bandits.

 **Next chapter will come out this week! Coming up next- Gilan gets Blaze. Sorry again about the wait. Please leave a review ( they always are appreciated)!**


	10. Chapter 10

Halt's Apprentice Chater 10

 **Happy Easter Everyone! Here's the next chapter.**

The next day, when Gilan woke up, he immediately jumped out of bed. Today he would get a horse! He was excited. Since leaving his home fief, he had been walking everywhere. From the cabin to the town, to the castle, and on all the tracking excursions they went on every week. Since Halt walked with him every now and then, poor Abelard was left in the stables most of the time.

"Morning Halt!" Gilan exclaimed cheerfully. He wandered around the small kitchen area and reached up to a shelf to retrieve a mug. Setting it on the counter, he poured himself a cup of coffee before carrying it over to the table where his mentor sat. Halt merely grunted in response. He was sifting through the reports from the week while sipping from his own cup of coffee. He looked up briefly as Gilan sat down.

"Haul water and chop some wood before you get too excited." He said gruffly. "We're heading out in an hour so get to it." He turned back to his sheaf of papers.

Gilan sighed heavily, setting his coffee down he headed outside, grabbing his cloak from where it hung on a peg by the door. Swinging over his shoulders, he fastened his cloak before heading down to the stream, the wooden bucket in tow. Filling it, he made the several trips necessary to fill the large barrel on the veranda. Finishing that 'fun' task, he took the ax that was lodged in a stump near the cabin, and began chopping wood into more usable pieces of firewood.

Halt came out of the cabin a while later, eyeing the growing pile of firewood, he nodded slightly. Gesturing for Gilan to follow, He started down the path, heading away from the cabin farther into the woods. Gilan quickly fell in step beside him.

They walked in silence for a total of two minutes.

"Where are we going?" Gilan asked curiously. Halt turned and raised a single eyebrow.

"This way" He said dryly. Grinning Gilan shook his head.

"Where this way?"

"Do you ever stop talking?" Halt asked shortly. They came to an intersection of paths and instead of taking the left one as Gilan thought they would, Halt started down the ri right road.

"Uhhhh, Halt? Redmont is that way." Gilan said, pointing over his shoulder.

"Yes, Gilan I'm quite aware of that fact." Halt said with exaggerated patience. "But does it look like I am heading towards Redmont?" Gilan frowned slightly.

"But I thought…" Too late, he realized his mistake.

"You're an apprentice. You're not ready to think." Came the swift reply.

A while later, Gilan spotted a small wooden house through the trees ahead. The house was simple, but next to it was a large stable and hay barn, as well as a fenced off field and some ramshackle huts. Along the fence, Gilan could see several horses grazing on the grass. They looked up as they approached, eyeing them curiously.

As they neared the house, an old man came out of the house to greet them. He was a bent, wrinkled figure- a bald, bearded old man with a large grin.

"Morning Ranger!" he called, making his way towards them.

"Hullo Old Bob", Halt said. Gilan studied the man as he stopped in front of them. He smelled like horses and practically reeked of stables.

"Who's this you've brought with you?" He studied Gilan with bright keen eyes.

"This would be Gilan, my new apprentice. Gilan, meet Old Bob. He breeds and trains horses for the Ranger Corps."

Gilan grinned and held his hand out.

"Morning sir" he said happily. Gilan could see right away that Old Bob was a likeable friendly person. Old Bob laughed in a cackling manner

"He calls me sir! Polite this one is. He'll make a good Ranger!" He turned towards Halt. "About time you've got an apprentice. My horses and I have been feeling forgotten without some new faces to get horses!"

"Do you have one ready for Gilan?" Halt asked.

"Why yes indeed!" Old Bob led them over to the paddock and let out a sharp whistle. A shaggy mare trotted up to out. She eyed Gilan, seeming to evaluate him. She was, he noticed, slightly longer legged than then other horses in the paddocks.

"This here's Blaze", Old Bob said, grinning. He reached into a nearby bin and pulled out an apple, tossing it to Gilan, he motioned towards the mare. "Give her an apple. She's crazy about them."

Gilan stepped forward until he was right in front of Blaze. Reaching out with the apple in hand he let her take it. She took, crunching on it happily. She turned to look at Gilan and snorted as if to say _Yes, we can be friends now that you gave me food._

Old Bob nodded. 'She likes you, go on and try to ride her". Gilan smiled and quickly hopped over the fence to stand beside Blaze. He saddled her quickly and swung up into the saddle. Taking ahold of the reins, he said a simple "Giddy up!"

And then chaos ensued.

Blaze bucked a jumped as if a giant spider rather than a rider had landed on her back. Gilan was tossed through the air, crashing into the ground beside the fence. Old Bob was doubled over with laughter while Halt seemed to be trying not to grin.

"You shouldn't rush into things." Halt said. Gilan huffed, annoyed, and stood up and dusted himself off. He kept a wary eye on Blaze who now stood innocently off to the side as if to say _what are you doing on the ground?_

"You need to say her code word before you can ride her," Old Bob cackled, recovering from his bought of laughter.

'Code word?" Gilan repeated.

"Yep! It's what keeps these horses from getting stolen! No one can ride them unless they say their code phrase first. Blaze's here is _Brown Eyes_ ".

"Brown Eyes" Gilan repeated. Old Bob laughed again.

"Not to me, say it to the horse!"

Gilan walked up beside Blaze again. Feeling a bit silly, he leaned next to her ear and spoke softly.

"Brown Eyes."

Blaze tossed her head, as if understanding what he just said and stood perfectly still as Gilan tried again to mount her. This time however, she didn't buck him off. He guided her around the paddock getting use to riding her. He grinned happily.

 _Now I have my own Rangers horse!_ He thought excitedly.

 **And there you go! I know that this was a short chapter, but I was working on this other story that was based off of a prompt and I just had to write it. If you want to check it out, it's my Easter RA fanfic. Don't forget to leave a review since I love getting feedback!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everyone! I feel like the world's worst writer- I haven't updated since Easter for crying out loud! I hit a bad stretch of writers block for a while there, but I think I'm over that. Special thanks to the guest reviewer who asked me to update soon- it really did help me finish a new chapter :) Hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

 _Thunk_

Gilan fired arrows with precise shots, each one embedding themselves deeply into the wood and straw targets set up around the clearing behind the cabin. They were set at varying distances and positions, causing Gilan to compensate for the new distances every time he switched targets. Halt stood nearby, watching his apprentice's progress and giving commands to suddenly change targets every so often.

"Again, this time start with the far left target" Halt said, studying the targets Gilan had just shot. Gilan lowered his bow and went to retrieve his arrows.

He had been practicing for the better part of the morning. Not only had he been practicing his shooting, he had also been put through a throwing knife course as well as completing his daily chores. Fun as it was to becoming a Ranger, Gilan was starting to realize how much practice he had to do.

After retrieving his arrows, Gilan took up his position in front of the targets again, setting an arrow to the string of his bow. Drawing his bowstring, he aimed for the target pinned to the tree to his left, and fired.

Even as his arrow hit its mark, Gilan was already reloading his bow and firing at the target just to the right of the previous one. Dropping into a crouch, he then aimed at a lower target before shooting the remaining three with various frequency until he was once again out of arrows.

Halt studied the results before nodding slightly. Gesturing for Gilan to go collect his arrows, he turned and headed for the verandah of the small cabin.

" saddle Blaze once you've picked up your arrows," he called over his shoulder. "We'll be working on your unseen movement skills".

Gilan grinned at this. Since he had gotten Blaze, Gilan loved spending time with her as often as he could. He quickly gathered up his arrows and after replacing them in his quiver, he hurried over to the stable.

Blaze greeted him with a shake of her head.

"Hey Blaze" Gilan said smiling. "Enjoying your new home?"

The mare nudged him with her head and he chuckled. "Sorry girl, no apples. You know what Halt said about feeding you those." She leveled him in a somewhat reproachful manner as if she was offended. Sometimes, Gilan swore she seemed to talk in her own way- Abelard to for that matter.

Gilan reached into his pocket. "But I guess what Halt doesn't know won't hurt him." He pulled out an apple he had picked from the tree near the cabin and held it out to Blaze.

Blaze gently plucked it from his palm and crunched down into it happily. She tossed her head as if to say _See? Now everyone's happy._

Gilan saddled Blaze and led her out of the stable and over to where Halt was waiting with Abelard by the cabin. They mounted their horses and headed into the woods.

"So where are we going to practice?" Gilan asked curiously as they rode deeper into the woods.

"In the woods" was the reply. Halt spoke in a tone that implied the obviousness of the answer. Gilan shook his head.

"I meant where in the woods"

"The along the river".

Gilan nodded, trying to pretend he knew what river Halt was talking about when in reality he had no idea whatsoever. Halt notice this a decided to call his bluff.

"Lead the way."

Gilan felt his face flush in embarrassment.

"I… don't really know where it is." he admitted sheepishly. Halt raised an eyebrow.

"Where you even paying attention when we were going over the regional maps?" he asked. Gilan shrugged.

"A little, but Geography is so boring! It seems kind of silly to have to remember all that information". Ha;t sighed in exasperation.

"Not half as silly as it would be to lead an group of soldiers through a forest only to find a cliff in their way." Gilan nodded slightly.

"Speaking from experience?" Halt turned to glare at his apprentice.

"Of course not. I have never made such a mistake."

By that point, they had reached the edge of the stretch of forest they were in and Gilan could clearly see the river Halt was talking about. It was a situated along a grassy riverbank and the muddy water flowed swiftly. It didn't seem to be too deep from where Gilan was but he wasn't about to jump in and find out.

Halt swung down from the saddle and Gilan quickly did the same, leading BLaze into the clearing to graze. Halt indicated the open space with a nod of his head.

"An important skill of being a Ranger is being able to hide in plain sight where there is no immediate cover. If a Ranger can't remain unseen without the aid of trees and undergrowth, he is vulnerable to attacks in open spaces." Gilan frowned slightly in puzzlement.

"But how is it possible to do that? It'd be really easy to see someone in this area," he said doubtfully. Halt pointed at the mottled cloak he was wearing.

"That's where this comes in handy. Wrapped in your cloak, the only way you would be seen is if you moved. Always remember to trust the cloak - it is your advantage in any situation." He pointed to the field.  
"I want you to start over there by the far edge of the woods. Try to work your way across the space without me seeing you. If you go along the riverbank watch your step; the ground is a bit unstable" Gilan nodded and began jogging across the space.

Reaching the edge of the woods, Gilan wrapped himself in his cloak and dropped into the tall grass in a crouch. By doing this, he had all but been rendered invisible.

 _How should I do this?_ Gilan wondered, studying his surroundings as he weighed his options. _I could go through the middle of the field I guess, but that's a bit too straight of a path and I'll be seen._ He looked to the treeline along to his right. He supposed he could try for that direction as well but he felt like Halt would expect that. Looking to his left he made a decision.

 _Along the Riverbank it is._

Moving carefully so as not to jostle the grass around him, Gilan made his way to the bank overlooking the rushing water. Remembering Halt's warning about the bank, he carefully crawled along the muddy ground, taking care not to venture too close to the edge.

The wet ground caused water to seep into his cloak and his cloak gradually became muddier as he went.

 _At least I'll blend in better this way_ he thought.

He had nearly made a little over halfway when he felt the bank below him shift slightly. Freezing, he tried not to disrupt the loose soil am\anymore.

It shifted again.

Scrambling backwards, Gilan tried to get to drier, more stable ground as fast as he could but it was already too late. With a startled yelp, Gilan felt the ground give way beneath him and he hit the water below.

The frigid temperature shocked what little breath he had managed to take in before going under right out of him. Kicking desperately, he fought to get to the surface as the raging water tossed him about, pulling him downstream.

Gilan managed to surface briefly, but was pulled under once again before he could draw a breath. His cloak was soaked through with cold water, dragging him down further. Feeling his lungs starting to burn from the lack of air, Gilan attempted to kick his way upwards once again.

His head broke the surface and he felt something latch onto his cloak and heave him out of the water. Gasping for breath, Gilan felt Hal;t drag him further up the bank and drop him unceremoniously on stable ground.

"What part of 'watch your step' did you not understand?" Halt growled irritably, unclasping Gilan's sodden cloak. Gilan coughed, spitting out a mouthful of muddy water and looked up at Halt.  
" I tried to get out of the way! Not my fault the darn bank was faster than me." he shivered slightly in the cool; air feeling frozen from the cold water. Halt sighed and wrapped his own cloak around his apprentice's shoulders.

"Go get Blaze. We're heading back to the cabin. You'll catch a cold if you don't get in some dry clothes soon" Gilan nodded, but figured at this point he would definetly get sick anyways.

 **Thanks for reading everyone! If anyone has any ideas/prompts they would like me to include in this, feel free to message me or leave a review about it- I'm always looking for new ideas for my stories.:)**


	12. Chapter 12

"ACHOO!"

Halt looked up at the sudden sound. Looking over the top of the pile of reports he was reading through, he saw Gilan sneeze again.

"ACHOO!"

"Cover your mouth, I don't want your germs all over my furniture." Halt flipped the page he was reading, ignoring the glare Gilan was sending his way.

"You try having a cold, see how you like it" Gilan grumbled from his position on the small couch. A warm fire was burning in the fireplace and Gilan had been near it since he had woken up. He shivered a little, shifting closer to the fire for warmth.

 _Stupid river water_. He had, unfortunately, woken up with a cold after the splash he had taken into the river the day before. His nose and head felt as if they were stuffed with cotton and his throat felt as if he had gargled sand and rocks.

"ACHOO!" he sneezed for what felt like the millionth time that morning. Eyes watering a bit from the force of it, he reached for a rag to blow his nose on. Halt looked up looking unsympathetic as ever.

"Don't think this gets you out of chores or training" he said mildly. Setting his papers aside for a moment, he took a sip of coffee from the cup next to him. Gilan stared in disbelief.

"Seriously?" he groaned. Halt just stared at him instead of responding. Gilan sighed, not really sure why he expected anything ese. Of course Halt wouldn't let him off training for a cold. Dragging himself to his feet, he headed towards his room to grab his cloak.

Halt watched him leave the room. Leaning back in his chair, he tapped his pile of papers against his leg, deep in thought. The annual Ranger Gathering was coming up soon. Very soon. In less than a week they would be there. Gilan was ready for his assessments, of that Halt had no doubt. His skills in both unseen and silent movement as well as his weapons skills were much improved.

 _That's not what worries me_ Halt thought grimly. Over the last few days he had been receiving some troubling reports from the outer borders of Redmont fief. A young knight was recently found dead while he was visiting home, all signs pointing to a sudden heart attack. But the young man had been in perfect health up until then. It was concerning, as the amount of bandits in the area had increased over the last week in the area. Halt planned to discuss it with Crowley at the gathering. It helped sometimes to have someone else look at a situation from another angle.

"Hey Halt, where is my cloak?" Gilan came back into the room, looking puzzled. Halt leveled him with a look.

"It's on a peg by the door. You left it on the floor last night." Gilan looked a bit sheepish.

"Heh. Well thanks." He grabbed it from where it hung on the wall, ignoring Halt as he mumbled what something about _messy apprentices who don't pick up after themselves_. Grinning, he turned to Halt.

"what are we doing today then?" Halt raised an eyebrow at him.

" _We_ aren't doing anything. _You_ however, are doing your chores and then going to practice your knives. You still spin the knife too much when you're aiming at a closer target."

"And I suppose you'll be sitting here looking pretty?"

"Well you certainly couldn't" Halt deadpans. Ignoring Gilan's surprised laughter he turned back to his reports.

"Looks don't matter if they can't see you. And you are rather short…."

"are you still here?"

"Right. Going!"

 **Sorry for the over 6 month hiatus everyone. As an apology, I went ahead and typed up two more chapters in addition to this one. This one's kind of short, but the next one isn't and I plan to post it tomorrow for you all to read! I actually plan to finish this story this year so expect an actual updating schedule to come!**


	13. Chapter 13

"Are we there yet?"

Actually, scratch that. It had gotten on his nerves the first twenty times Gilan had asked.

"No. We are not. Just as I told you the last time you asked and the fifty times before that." He growled, glaring at his apprentice. Gilan hastily focused his attention elsewhere. Satisfied that the message had gotten across, Halt turned his gaze back to the road ahead of them.

"…But will we be there soon?"

Halt mentally counted to five before slowly turning his head towards his apprentice.

"Not if you're walking."

Gilan frowned, eyebrows drawing together as a look of confusion crossed over his face.

"But were not. We're on horseback." He said, puzzled. Halt, face still deadpan spoke calmly.

"You won't be if you don't shut up."

Gilan hastily closed his mouth. Miming zipping his lips, he nodded. Halt rolled his eyes and turned back around.

 _Why did I have to pick a talkative apprentice?_ He thought, exasperated.

They were traveling towards the gathering grounds for the annual Gathering. They had left Redmont two days ago and the road, while relatively safe, was a long one. The trip had been uneventful so far.

And Gilan was growing a bit bored.

Oh sure, the thought of meeting other Rangers was exciting and Gilan was happy to be going to his first Gathering. And he was rather nervous about the assessments; he wasn't all too sure what they would entail except that they would test all he had learned so far. No that wasn't it. He was looking forward to where they were going, it's just that the journey had been boring.

Although, Halt had spent the last two nights around the fire when they made camp devising a plan for when they were inevitably ambushed by fellow Rangers on their way in.

" _They will try to get the drop on us. They try it every year, but they will be working twice as hard this year." Halt had said the night before._

" _Why?" Gilan asked._

" _They know I have an apprentice. They will be curious to see what you can do." Gilan had felt a bit of apprehension at the thought. What if he messed up? He dismissed the thought quickly. He would do his best not to make a mistake._

"We're getting close" Halt's sudden words drew Gilan out of his thoughts. He looked around. The area around them looked the same as it had most of the trip. Green trees gathered to make up a forest that was occasionally broken up by the odd clearing or stream.

"There will be a Ranger around here soon." Halt said quietly. "we've gotten close enough now that there is no way they haven't noticed at least one rider coming through." He nodded towards the nearby trees.

"You know what to do." Gilan nodded, dropping from his saddle, he led Blaze off the dirt path and into the trees. Once they were far enough in to not be seen, he waited for Halt and Abelard to go around the bend in the road ahead. Once they were out of sight, he dropped the reins.

"Stay, Blaze." He whispered to her. The mare tossed her head gently as if to say _Duh_. Smiling a little, Gilan drew his cloak around himself, lifted the hood into place and set off on foot.

He ghosted through the trees, stepping lightly across the ground. He moved without a sound; a skill developed through several long months of training and practice. He loved working on unseen movement. He was definitely much improved from his first poorly made attempts to sneak up on Halt.

By the time Gilan had caught up to Halt, his mentor had dismounted, and was surveying his surroundings with narrowed eyes as if he was looking for something.

Keeping concealed in the cover of the forest, Gilan also swept his eyes around the area, searching for any sign of another person.

 _Hisssss-Thunk!_

An arrow buried itself into the ground at Halt's feet. Gilan's eyes widen in surprise at the sudden action, having to will himself not to move and give away his position.

The older Ranger looked down without any sign of surprise. He sighed.

"A bit childish even for you, isn't this Crowley?" Halt asked. No one answered. Gilan doubted he had expected anyone to.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Gilan saw a figure in a long mottled cloak similar to the one he was wearing appear in the road behind Halt. Reaching out, he tapped Halt on the shoulder. Halt turned around, raising an eyebrow at the person in front of him.

The figure laughed, pulling his hood down to reveal a man around Halt's age. He had short, bright red hair and wore what Gilan had heard called, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"My goodness Halt, growing old and lax are we? Perhaps you should retire!" the man grinned, chuckling at Gilan's mentor. Halt rolled his eyes.

"Crowley, that wasn't funny the first time you said it and it certainly isn't now."

Gilan began to carefully creep around to come up behind the man. In his hands, he held a bottle of water. Halt had told him he was to surprise whomever tried to ambush them, but he doubted Halt had this in mind…

Before he could think it through, Gilan unfastened the stopper, and carefully crept up behind the man.

"You know Halt, denial is the first sign of old age" Crowley said, shaking his head at Halt. Halt just narrowed his eyes.

"You know what is a sign of old age?" Crowley looked curiously at his friend. "Forgetting certain details, such as, oh let's say travelling companions." Crowley froze, and began to turn but it was too late.

Crowley was suddenly had water dripping from his hair, running down his face from where Gilan had dumped the entire contents of the water container on his head.

 _Drat. I forgot he had an apprentice._ Crowley turned around fully to see a grinning Gilan standing behind him, holding the now empty container.

"Well that certainly was an interesting way to greet someone." He said, regarding the boy's grin with a raised eyebrow. Gilan's grin grew even wider.

"What can I say? I like to make a _splash_ when I meet new people." Crowley laughed.

"I like this one! He made terrible jokes!" Crowley said, turning to Halt. The other Ranger stared at him.

"It matches your awful attempts at them." He said dryly.

 **There we go! Longer chapter as I promised. I plan to post a new chapter every Friday from here on out, starting this week so you have that to look forward to. Stay tuned for the events of Gilan's first Gathering and don't forget to review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello lovelies! Hope it's warmer wherever you guys are than it is here; Snow is EVERYWHERE! Just a quick note here. I figured since Gilan shows up in the Second Early Years book, Crowley would already know that he is training with a sword. It shouldn't change anything for this story :).**

"So, how is life for the ever-irritable Halt?" Crowley asked with a smile, facing his fellow Ranger as they waited for Gilan to retrieve Blaze. The young apprentice had wandered off down the track to whistle for her. "Going crazy having to train an apprentice? I must admit Halt; I was surprised you chose to get one."

"I've gotten used to him; besides, someone has to take over for older people like you some day."

Crowley responded by sticking out his tongue. Halt rolled his eyes.

"Real mature. Still as childish as ever then."

"Still as grumpy as ever."

The two Ranger's had a short staring contest. Then Crowley suddenly grinned.

"It's good to see you Halt" he reached out and embraced his friend.

"And you. Enjoying the paperwork?"

"Oh yes, definitely. So much in fact, I'm willing to share it with you."

"Not a chance."

Gilan, with Blaze in tow, came back over towards them. Crowley noticed with some interest that Gilan's sword was strapped to the saddle. He gestured towards it.

"Still taking lessons from MacNeil then?" Gilan nodded.

"Halt lets me ride out to Caraway Fief every other week so I can learn more- I practice with Battleschool apprentices at the Battleschool in Redmont the rest of the time." He said, smiling. Crowley nodded thoughtfully.

"Makes sense; no point in wasting all that hard work right? Always could be handy to be trained in another weapon after all." He gestured down the path.

"Come on then you two! Most of the others have already arrived!" Crowley began to walk down the trail towards the Gathering Grounds, leaving drops of water in his wake. His hair was still dripping water.

Gilan and Halt, horses in tow, followed

As they came out into the clearing, Gilan could see several one-man tents set up all around the grassy area. Rangers were scattered all over; some by cook fires, some near the archery range set off to the side, and everywhere in between. Gilan spotted a group of young boys around his age near a grove of trees near where the horses were grazing. The entire place was alive with movement.

A few of the Rangers called out greetings to Halt and Crowley, looing curiously at Gilan. Everyone had heard Halt had taken on an apprentice. Some hadn't quite believed it until now. Many hadn't thought that the irritable Ranger would ever have the patience to train one.

Gilan looked around in some wonder, not even bothering to hide how impressed he was by it all. Halt noticed and nodded towards a flat spot near them.

"Well set up our tents here. Drop your gear off and take care of Blaze. You can socialize after that."

Gilan nodded, eager to make some new friends, he quickly did as he was told.

He and Halt set up the tents quickly and efficiently. Gilan unsaddled Blaze and after rubbing her down, he led her to where some of the other Ranger horses were grazing on a large patch of grass.

Blaze swung her head around to look at him. _Where's my apple?_ She seemed to say.

"You know Halt says they're not good for you." Gilan said, a mock glare leveled at his horse.

 _Halt's not a horse. What would he know_

Gilan chuckled, pulling an apple from his pocket.

"Very well; but I'm blaming you if I get into trouble."

 _When are you not getting into trouble_

Gilan chose not to dignify that with a response. It didn't matter anyway- Blaze would always get the last word in.

"Do you have a sword?"

Gilan turned at the unexpected sound. A boy, roughly around his own age was standing behind him, curious brown eyes looking at the weapon where it hung on his belt. Gilan had strapped it on with his knives after retrieving Blaze from the woods.

Gilan nodded. The other boy's expression turned into one of confusion.

"I didn't think Rangers were allowed to have swords.

"Well, I was already training with it when I was apprenticed. Halt said it would be a shame to waste all that effort so he let me keep it up."

The other apprentice seemed impressed. "That's neat! I'm Lumen by the way."

"Gilan" he held his hand out and Lumen shook it. "Is this your first year too?"

Lumen nodded.

"Yep! I'm here with my mentor Clint. He's mentioned Halt before. I didn't think he was that short though." Gilan grinned and looked over to where Halt was talking with another Ranger and Crowley.

"He is rather short isn't he?"

"I'm guessing all the other stories about him aren't true either? Or does he really kill bears with his bare hands?" Lumen said with a snicker.

"Oh I don't know, that one might be true. It must have stolen his honey; He likes it in his coffee."

"Ugh, Clint is the same way. I don't care for it myself."

Gilan suddenly had a brilliant thought (at least he considered it brilliant. Blaze might disagree).

"Say, I've got an idea. Ever notice how similar tree sap is to honey in appearance?"

 **Hmmmmmmm….Should Gilan go through with a prank? What do you all think? Leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Shout out to every one of you wonderful reviewers- I can't even begin to tell you how much all your words encourage me! Thank you so much for continuing to support this story.**

 **And now by popular demand, I present to you….**

"This is a terrible idea"

Gilan grinned at Lumen.

"Terrible? That's a bit harsh."

"But true."

"Yeah."

The two apprentice Rangers turned their attention back towards the campfire their mentors and another Ranger were talking around. A pot hung suspended over the flames, boiling water for a fresh pot of coffee. Close by, the honey container peeked out slightly from where it was nestled in a bag of cooking ingredients and rations.

Peering from where they were concealed in the clump of trees nearby, Gilan and Lumen watched as Halt and the other Ranger stood to go talk with Crowley for a moment, leaving Clint by himself near the fire.

"Alright, ready?" Lumen asked. Gilan nodded, and straitening up, he strolled out of the cover of the trees and towards Clint purposefully. The plan was for Gilan to distract whoever was left at the fire while Lumen switched out the honey. Gilan hadn't really thought too much about what he was going to say to distract the Ranger, but if there was anything he knew he was good at it, it was improvising stories and excuses. It was a talent that had served him well over the years; he often got himself into trouble with pranks like this one after all.

Clint looked up as Gilan approached. He smiled in greeting and stood.

"You must be Halt's apprentice". He held his hand out and Gilan grasped it, shaking his hand. "I had wondered when you'd show up here. I'm Clint"

Gilan smiled, nodding. "Gilan. I've already met your apprentice Lumen. And actually, that's why I'm here." Clint raised an eyebrow.

"What's he done now?"

Gilan laughed.

"Nothing, but he asked if I could come get you; he wanted your advice on something he found. He said he'd be over by the archery range."

Clint looked a bit wary.

"And what did he find exactly?"

"Not sure- he said something about a rabid squirrel…"

"A what now?"

As they were talking, Gilan began walking towards the archery range, leading Clint who followed behind. All the while, Gilan chattered on about squirrels. Soon they reached the range, and upon seeing his apprentice was nowhere in sight, Clint turned to Gilan.

Gilan shrugged, frowning and trying to look puzzled.

"huh. He said he'd be here. I can go look for him if you want-"

"It's fine." Clint rolled his eyes. "Typical. He probably got distracted. That boy has the attention span of a hummingbird. Nice meeting you though Gilan.: he started back the way he had come, muttering something about easily distracted apprentices.

Gilan waited for him to disappear from sight before turning away and making his way through the woods to the spot Lumen was to meet him at. By the time he made it there, Lumen was standing there already.

"Did it work?" Gilan asked eagerly. Lumen nodded, his grin as wide as Gilan's.

"Made the switch. Great distraction by the way, though why a squirrel?" Gilan shrugged.

"Let's go; I want to see their faces."

The two apprentices moved swiftly and silently through the forest. Coming across a fallen tree a good distance into the cover of the trees, they found they could easily see the campsite from here.

"This is prefect." Gilan whispered. Lumen nodded, and the two boys crouched behind the log, cloaks gathered around them, to watch the scene before them.

Halt and the other Ranger had returned by now, accompanied by Crowley. The four Rangers sat around the fire, talking amongst themselves as Halt poured out coffee into cups. After handing the coffee out, Halt reached for the jar in the nearby bag. The jar, identical to the honey one, was filled with a sticky golden liquid-like substance. Scooping out a glob, Halt stirred it into his coffee, passing the jar to Clint who did the same. Crowley and the other Ranger declined when offered.

"They didn't even notice!" Gilan whispered gleefully. Lumen nodded, eyes glued to the campfire events.

They watched as the Rangers all took a sip of the hot beverage. And 3, 2, 1…..

Clint's eyes widened and he spat the mouthful of coffee onto the ground beside him. Halt, did the same. Staring down at the cups of coffee, the Ranger's faces were a mixture of shock and disgust. Even as Gilan watched though, Halt's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Grabbing the jar of what he had thought was honey, he eyed the substance, before carefully scooping some out.

"Tree sap." He growled. Clint looked puzzled.

"What do you mean? How'd that get there…." His face changed from one of confusion to thunderous. Lumen a Gilan gulped. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea….

Crowley and the other Ranger burst out laughing.

"GILAN!" Halt shouted at the same time as Clint shouted "LUMEN!"

"Run?" Lumen whispered. Gilan nodded.

"Run." The two scrambled deeper into the woods, laughing even as the sounds of two angry Rangers and two laughing ones followed them.

 **And there you go! A bit of a lighthearted silly chapter before I get into the more complicated plot stuff. If you liked it and if you have any ideas you'd like to share feel free to leave a review! See you next week :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry I'm a bit late with this update- I had a late night last night and didn't have time to post this chapter until today.**

"I hope you know I completely blame you for this."

"It was your idea originally!"

"But I didn't suggest pranking them in front of the Commandant!"

"Technically that wasn't our fault; we didn't know he'd be there."

"Try telling our mentors that."

"No thanks, I quite like being alive as it is."

Gilan nodded in agreement and winced slightly at the; he and Lumen had ended up spending the night in a tree because of the honey switch.

The apprentices were walking together towards the little grove of trees near the archery range. There, they could see the other two first year apprentices were already standing. They were supposed to begin their assessment today.  
"Hi Lumen." one of the boys smiled when they walked up to them. He waved at Lumen, who he had apparently already met. Lumen waved back.

"Hi Quentin," he nodded a greeting. Gesturing towards Gilan he introduced him. "This is Gilan; Gilan, this is Quentin." Gilan grinned in greeting.

Gilan looked curiously over to the other apprentice who only nodded as way of greeting and did not say a word. Quentin pointed back towards him.

"Don't mind Sam, he just doesn't like getting up early."

Sam frowned.

"It's not normal for anyone to be cheerful in the morning". He grumbled. He cast an annoyed look at Quentin. "Much less have as much energy as you."

Gilan laughed.

"That's why we drink a magical thing called coffee."

Sam pulled a face at that. Shaking his head, he.

"I'm surrounded by coffee crazies"

"There's nothing wrong with coffee." Lumen argued.

"It tastes like tar."

Gilan gasped in mock outrage.

"Oi! Don't insult the coffee. It tastes like heaven!"

Quentin nodded.

"Especially with honey." He said.

"But most definitely not with tree sap." Came a voice from behind them.

Turning around, Gilan saw the cloaked form of Lumen's mentor standing behind them.

"Hi Clint!" he smiled cheerfully, trying to look innocent. Lumen too attempted to appear innocent.

Their attempt was met with a raised eyebrow not unlike the one Halt usually displayed. The movement was so familiar Gilan couldn't help but wonder if it was a Ranger requirement to be able to raise an eyebrow.

"Good morning boys." He addressed the four of them. Pointing at the bows each of them were carrying he tilted his head towards the targets.

"Let's see if you can actually shoot with those sticks."

Across the Gathering Grounds, Halt stood looked up from the map he was reading over. Looking towards the range, he could see Gilan and the other apprentices beginning their testing under Clint's direction.

"Coffee Halt?"

Crowley walked up next to Halt, two cups of coffee in head. Halt accepted the offered cup, nodding his thanks. Crowley grinned.

"Sure you don't want any honey with that?"

Halt glared at him over his coffee.

"It wasn't that funny, Crowley." He growled.

"Your right. I'm sorry, it wasn't funny. It was hilarious! Your eyes were so wide I thought they would pop out of your head!" Halt ignored his laughing friend in favor of sipping at the hot beverage he held in his hand.

"Is there a reason you came over here? Or did you just want to bug me?"

Crowley tried and failed to appear offended.

"Can't I just talk to a friend without needing a reason?" However, his manner became more serious. "Actually, I came to talk to you about a troubling matter." He held out a thin folder that appeared to hold only a few sheets of paper. Halt took it and flipped it open.

Inside where a few reports and memos. One of the reports, Halt was able to recognize as a copy of the one he was reading a while ago detailing the odd death of a young knight in Redmont. Looking at the other reports, he noticed they were of similar content. A total of 3 knights had been found dead or had gone missing in Redmont, Norgate, and Araluen fief. A blacksmith from Seacliff and a castle steward had also been found dead.

"This is only from the last few months." Crowley said, gesturing towards the papers. "his all has been going on for nearly a year now. Whoever is doing this, has been stepping up their game recently."

"What makes you think they are connected?" Halt asked, scanning the reports with a keen eye. At first glance, none of these deaths seemed to be related but he knew Crowley would not be focusing on it so much if something hadn't caught his eye.

"They all died in the same manner. It was made to look like an accident but every time it was caused by a dagger to the back. And each person was someone who was important to a town or village's happenings, with the exception of the Jeweler."

Halt nodded thoughtfully. "Do you have any clue as to what could be going on?" Crowley nodded grimly.

"Even better. I believe I know who's behind it all." He handed Halt another thin file.

Halt flipped it open, and upon reading the name at the top of the page, his blood ran cold.


	17. Apologies for the wait

**I am so sorry I haven't updated in ages. I had to have surgery unexpectedly and it just threw my whole life into chaos for a while but I'm getting back on track and I am almost back at full health. I plan to post the next chapter this Friday and get back to my usual chapter schedule.**

 **See you Friday!**

 **-darth picard**


	18. Chapter 18

"Tykon? Tykon Mettelus? Are you sure?" Halt stared at the Commandant in something akin to disbelief.

Crowley nodded, a rare, serious expression on his face. The normally cheerful man's voice was grim as he spoke.

"He's still in the dungeons at Araluen Castle, but that unfortunately doesn't mean he can't run things from there." Crowley ran a hand through his short ginger hair frustrated. "He has an extensive web of contacts and employees. Not to mention his wife still is out there and is in a position to orchestrate this. I don't believe it's her though; she's been under surveillance for a while now."

Halt frowned, troubled. And for good reason. Tykon Mettelus was a well-known figure who headed an extensive community of bandits, smugglers, and thieves and mercenaries.

Halt had helped to lock him two years ago when he had been running a black market for precious gems and metals in one of Araulen's trading towns. He was a vicious and cruel man and if he couldn't bribe someone into either working for him or looking the other way, he would have them killed.

Halt was beginning to see where Crowley was going with this. Everyone who had been killed so far in these incidents were those who could have potentially been approached by Tykon's men and killed when bribery or blackmail failed. And everyone who had disappeared was someone who could be very useful in the black market he ran.

Not for the first time, Halt wished they were able to have completely dismantled the organization. As of right now, the Ranger Corp had run out leads until now.

"I'm guessing you want me to go after this?"

Crowley sighed.

"I'm not so stupid to try sending you alone especially now that Gilan is in the picture. This is bigger than two Rangers can handle. Even if one of them is you. I'd help you, but I am accompanying the King to Picta over the next few weeks."

"Tykon's men could try and take advantage of the King's absence to get back to full power."

"That is the main concern. And It is why I'm sending both Rand and Lukas with you."

Halt nodded thoughtfully. He knew both of them. Rand was only a few years younger than Halt himself and was a skilled Ranger. His former apprentice, Pietro, had graduated last year but was proving to be a very capable young man. He could work with them. He wasn't very thrilled at the idea of Gilan being involved in this, but he had to admit deep down that it was a Ranger's duty to go into dangerous situations. And as Crowley stated earlier, their hands were basically tied in the matter. They had reason to expect Tykon's men to make a move soon and needed to be as prepared as they could be to take them down once and for all.

It didn't mean Halt had to be happy about it.

 **I know his one is short, but I wanted to explain the mission Halt and Gilan will be undertaking soon before I go on and honestly getting back in the flow of this writing is a bit tougher than I anticipated but I'm working on it. See you next Friday with a longer chapter!**


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